Be honest - were you a Dalton basher in 1986-87?

Brosnan_fan

I definitely wasn't, though when I heard the name of the actor who was going to be the (at the time) new James Bond, I thought, "Timothy Who??".

I had never heard of this man before, and though I had seen Flash Gordon, I was only 6 or 7 years old, and not much into films and film stars.

Anyway, I paid to see TLD, and was completely blown away; it was bloody terrific. -{ It took me a few years to warm to LTK, and I was glad I had the patience to do so; it was another really good Bond film. :007)

I was impressed with his interpretation of Bond; a refreshing departure from the styles of Connery and Moore. It really was a great shame he was unwittingly caught up with all the legal wrangling that followed LTK, and he should have had the opportunity to make at least a couple more Bond films before he left the series.

Higgins

I was - right after the first pics from him appeared in the press.

Waiting for the fanboys chiming in praising him for having read the novels and using "hard-edged" terms

NeverSayDie

I was about 3 years old when Tim became Bond so the answer is no.

Sir Miles

No I wasn't....I was happy he got it because I knew that Cubby had wanted him years ago - so I was interested in seeing what he would bring to the role...and I thought Brosnan wasn't ready...

Thunderpussy

I was very happy on Hearing that Dalton had won the role, and
thought he was brilliant in TLD. -{

sniperUK

No, I was delighted to see Moore go and welcomed the harder edge, would have prefered a new director as well to remove some of the sillyness, the laser cutting the Lada and the stupid heart in TLD and the truck wheelie in TLD as a few examples .

lotus

Loved Dalton he was mint I wish he had made 6 bond films

superado

No, I did not bash Dalton when he was announced and in fact, I was first disappointed that Brosnan was dropped but became happier than before when I realized who Dalton was. Before that, I was a big fan of Remington Steele and thought Brosnan would be a perfect Bond because he was a Brit who happened to be handsome, a key characteristic that I’ve associated with Bond always. This is why I didn’t see a problem with Roger Moore and I think my generation is the last one to know the distinct concept of what handsome was, and Brosnan was that; in fact, looking back when he was younger, I forgot how pretty he was. ;% Anyway, after being announced and seeing these Diet Coke commercials having Brosnan practically doing Bond without being called Bond, he was dropped and Dalton was announced a short time later.

Who was this guy Dalton in the People magazine I was reading about Brosnan losing the role? (there was just this photo of Dalton driving a car) Then, all of a sudden, I remembered he was in one of my all-time favorite Sci-Fi movies, Flash Gordon (more than Star Wars) and I felt he stole that movie with his presence, so I dug out my old picture storybook of Flash Gordon to imagine how Dalton would look as Bond since I identified him too much with his moustache in that movie; remember, this was the days before mass Internet access!

I also just started reading the Fleming books about 3 years earlier and realized, wow, this guy Dalton had the potential to be a literary Bond, particularly with how as Barin he called Princess Aura, “bitch!” (also note, calling people "bitch" wasn't common in movies then) …just like how Bond uttered “…the bitch is dead!” in CR. Believe it or not, this is what I assured my friends and family, who were also disappointed that Remington Steele lost out on the role. Then, seeing Dalton for the first time in TLD, I was blown away just how he was the literary Bond, complete with the 80’s version of Bond’s unkempt hair, handsome but not pretty, the non-descript suits, his non-smarmy delivery (unlike all the Bonds before him, plus Brosnan) and soft-hearted, but occasional relational tension with Kara. So no, I did not bash Dalton and wish he got the chance to do 5 films instead of 2. To be fair, however, since then I realized there were a few things about Dalton’s take on the character of the books that could have been done better, but to me, no one has come closer, and Craig uberfans, please… 8-)

chrisisall

At first I was sad Pierce lost the role to his RS contract, but I thought that new guy who was in Flash Gordon didn't do too badly. I have since read all the novels and Dalton is my hands down favourite. So no, I never bashed him, I was just not as enthusiastic as I *SHOULD* have been. 8-)

Blackleiter

I had no idea who Dalton was before I heard he was going to take over the Bond role. Just as others have mentioned, I had for years been a fan of Remington Steele and I immediately thought of Brosnan as a candidate to be Bond. I especially thought he could fill the role well in light of the direction the series took during the Roger Moore era. I went to see TLD the day it was released because I was really craving a Bond film after the long hiatus. I was absolutely thrilled by Dalton's portrayal. Finally a Bond to be taken seriously again. And remember, this was the first Bond film since AVTAK, which to me is the worst of the series, and TLD was a HUGE improvement over that film on every level. I thought LTK was an equally strong outing by Dalton, and I was really looking forward to several more films featuring Dalton as 007. I still regret that it never came to be.

chrisisall

Blackleiter wrote:

I was absolutely thrilled by Dalton's portrayal. Finally a Bond to be taken seriously again.

YES!!

And remember, this was the first Bond film since AVTAK, which to me is the worst of the series

In the 70's, TSWLM pushed me a tad too far. After Moonraker, I was a serious Moore-hater. I saw & wrote off all his subsequent movies (too bad though, I've recently come to appreciate OP quite a bit).

Blackleiter

Although I'm not a Roger Moore fan, for what it's worth OP is my second favorite Moore Bond film after FYEO.

chrisisall wrote:

Blackleiter wrote:

I was absolutely thrilled by Dalton's portrayal. Finally a Bond to be taken seriously again.

YES!!

And remember, this was the first Bond film since AVTAK, which to me is the worst of the series

In the 70's, TSWLM pushed me a tad too far. After Moonraker, I was a serious Moore-hater. I saw & wrote off all his subsequent movies (too bad though, I've recently come to appreciate OP quite a bit).

Napoleon Plural

I had a bit of a problem because in looks alone he seemed like a 1970s hero - longish face like Gareth Hunt off The New Avengers. I wanted a return to the square jaw hero of Connery, and got that with Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon, thanks.

They kept banging on about a return to Connery's days, as if to say, thank goodness, we've got a real actor on board now, unlike Rog. But frankly I caught Dalton acting far more than I did Moore, and I didn't find him too athletic either, he didn't have much body language.

I felt the critics supported him much as they did when they praised Connnery's NSNA a few years earlier, they kind of had to after a decade denigrating Moore.

DEFIANT 74205

I was only 6 years old when The Living Daylights came out, so back then I neither liked nor disliked him. I didn't know who he was!

I don't remember when I first saw The Living Daylights, nor do I remember whether I did so before or after I started reading the novels properly. But I do remember to having a somewhat lukewarm liking to The Living Daylights when I first saw it. It was a film that grew on me, as did Dalton's performances.

Smiert-Spionam

Well I was born in 1988 so of course, Brosnan was the Bond I grew up with. As a kid I thought that the top 3 Bonds were Connery, Brosnan and Moore (oh the naivety of youth)! I totally disregarded Dalton and Lazenby without even giving the films a chance. It's only when I rediscovered the Bond films a couple of years ago that I came to appreciate what an awesome job Dalton did and subsequently he is now my favourite Bond. -{

chrisisall

Napoleon Plural wrote:

But frankly I caught Dalton acting far more than I did Moore, and I didn't find him too athletic either, he didn't have much body language.

My first impression of Dalton in 1987 was that his Bond was lacking in the nonchalant super-confidence that both Connery & Moore possessed. He seemed too excitable, he tended to look around a lot, as if he was trying to be hyper aware of his surroundings and situation. And when he smiled, he seemed to be genuinely smiling, not that "I'm smiling because I'm about to come off with a funny remark" smile you got from C&M. Annoyingly, his Bond seemed more like, well, a real person... eeeewwwue.
) :007) -{

Lazenbyfan

Not me. I was a Dalton fan already and thought he'd be great.

...and he was.

Silhouette Man

I was only 2 then, so 'No'.

Napoleon Plural

chrisisall wrote:

Napoleon Plural wrote:

But frankly I caught Dalton acting far more than I did Moore, and I didn't find him too athletic either, he didn't have much body language.

My first impression of Dalton in 1987 was that his Bond was lacking in the nonchalant super-confidence that both Connery & Moore possessed. He seemed too excitable, he tended to look around a lot, as if he was trying to be hyper aware of his surroundings and situation. And when he smiled, he seemed to be genuinely smiling, not that "I'm smiling because I'm about to come off with a funny remark" smile you got from C&M. Annoyingly, his Bond seemed more like, well, a real person... eeeewwwue.
) :007) -{

Yeah. I think the Empire review said that Dalton put the sheer laziness of the writers on the spot by not coming across as a heartless tailor's dummy. Like Moore, for instance.

It was a bit... unsettling.

Silhouette Man

Napoleon Plural wrote:

chrisisall wrote:

Napoleon Plural wrote:

But frankly I caught Dalton acting far more than I did Moore, and I didn't find him too athletic either, he didn't have much body language.

My first impression of Dalton in 1987 was that his Bond was lacking in the nonchalant super-confidence that both Connery & Moore possessed. He seemed too excitable, he tended to look around a lot, as if he was trying to be hyper aware of his surroundings and situation. And when he smiled, he seemed to be genuinely smiling, not that "I'm smiling because I'm about to come off with a funny remark" smile you got from C&M. Annoyingly, his Bond seemed more like, well, a real person... eeeewwwue.
) :007) -{

Yeah. I think the Empire review said that Dalton put the sheer laziness of the writers on the spot by not coming across as a heartless tailor's dummy. Like Moore, for instance.

It was a bit... unsettling.

All part of EON's plan to humanise Bond, I suppose!

BIG TAM

I'd always found Dalton a curiosity. In most of his films he seemed adept at playing weak-willed dandies. The likes of CROMWELL & AGATHA had him cast as distinctly unlikeable rogues; his crowning glory for weasal peevishness being his turn as Lord Darnley in MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS. None of these & other roles led me to believe he'd make a good 007. In fact, he seemed better suited to Bond villainy.
But then I saw him in FLASH GORDON & TV adaptations of THE MASTER OF BALLANTRAE & JANE EYRE & my opinion changed. Here was a varied actor who could easily turn his hand to Byronesque heroes. And he didn't disappoint.
When the notion of Pierce Brosnan came to play in 1986 I wasn't keen. Having caught him in the odd episode of REMINGTON STEELE he came across as a bit insipid so I was happy to see a replacement. Dalton proved excellent. As has been said several times, it's a pity he never got the chance to truly cement his status on the 007 role but there you go.

L Jones

Nope. I was never a Dalton basher. I embraced him very quickly as Bond. And to this day, I still wish he had done more than 2 films.

mac007

In 87, I was 3...so no.

Nick37

I was 5 when Dalton took over the role, so no bashing on this end. My first experience with Dalton came with the "Bondathons". Upon first viewing, I thought he was good. No more, no less. His suits didn't look as tailored and he wasn't as funny, but the film made enough of an impression on me that I had a plastic toy plane similar to the one in "TLD" that subsequently became used to replay the ending sequences of "TLD". (I think my Flattop figure became my Bondesque hero role. You'll all be happy to hear that Nowadays I have Both of Dalton's Sideshow incarnations of Bond, though I don't play with them. ) )

I liked the film enough that when they replayed TLD, and were following it with 'Licence to Kill", I set up a tape to record them both. Unfortunately, the gods behind Memorex conspired to have the 6 hour tape run out during the scene where Bond is hanging over the conveyor. Thankfully, I got another chance to see the whole thing later. I discovered I liked TLD more on 2nd viewing and really liked LTK, though I wondered by Dalton wore blue so much.

Now that my horizons have broadened and I've been able to purchase all the dvds and purchase and read every Bond novel from Casino Royale to Carte Blanche, so many of the things that made me curious watching Dalton's films (Bond's lack of tailoring in the Dalton films, and his affinity to blue) made sense after going through the Fleming's.

Blood_Stone

Ironically, I became a Timothy Dalton fan because of his performance in Flash Gordon before I even knew he was 007!

Nick37

"Ironically, I became a Timothy Dalton fan because of his performance in Flash Gordon before I even knew he was 007!"

He rocks that movie. Mainly because there's not a smile or wink to the audience in the performance. It's probably one of my favorite non-Bond roles Dalton has done, right up there with Simon Skinner and Neville Sinclair.

Distorted Humor

No, then again, I was 6

Thunderpussy

What I bash and When, Is my own Business. )